William H. Preston Jr.

He leaves his sons, Sean W. Preston of Dorchester and Eric E. Preston and his wife Neishia of Baldwinville; a brother, Craig R. Preston and his partner Michael Musta of Marlborough; and two grandchildren,

Nicholas Preston of Baldwinville and Serina Ratoff of Worcester.

Born in Philadelphia, Pa., he was the son of William H. and Marcia W. Preston, and spent time in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Indiana. He graduated in 1967 from the Northwood School in Lake Placid, N.Y., then moved to Hopkinton where he met his first wife, Christine, and began to develop his love of woodworking. Following his divorce, he met his second wife, Martha Perry, and lived in the Westborough area. By the mid-1980s, he wed his third wife Jeannine and moved to West Boylston with her two sons. He got his contractor’s license and started a small company, B&J Construction. Starting in the early 1990s, he began pursuing his financial and insurance certifications while working at Allmerica in Worcester, and eventually earned his business degree from Becker College.

He was diagnosed with leukemia at age 50. At UMass-Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, he came through multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and eventually a successful bone marrow transplant, from his brother Craig, that would give him an additional 10 years to pursue his passions. After divorcing in 2001, he moved to Holden where he lived for a time with his second wife Martha, did graduate business work at the University of Phoenix in Westborough and moved his career to MassMutual in Springfield, where he worked until 2008. Most recently Bill pursued his passion for woodworking under the tutelage of master carpenter Ken Scherdell of Rutland. He was an avid woodworker, with a passion for kayaking, nature photography and whistling, and will be remembered as a loving grandfather, father, brother and friend. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 12, in the Holden Chapel, 279 Reservoir St., Holden. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to: Walk to Cure Cancer, 333 South St., RM: 13E-495, Shrewsbury, MA 01545. Miles Funeral Home, 1158 Main St., Holden, is directing arrangements. (milesfuneralhome.com)